


A Happy Beginning

by GFwrites



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 04:19:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11889855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GFwrites/pseuds/GFwrites
Summary: Five years after the final battle where Emma defeated Gideon and the Black Fairy, Emma and Killian find themselves deep into married life. With Henry off to college and a spunky three year old daughter to keep their hands full, life seems to have finally settled down. That is until their daughter starts developing some magical abilities that are sure to throw their lives off track.





	1. Chapter One

"Mom!" Henry shouted from the top of the staircase, attempting to balance two overly packed boxes in his hands. He rolled his eyes as soon as he heard a burst of giggles from the living room downstairs.

A mere handful of seconds later, an enthusiastic and energetic Leia burst into the foyer, "Henwy!"

No matter how irritating Henry found his little sister to be at times, it was almost impossible for him not to smile every time she said his name; he had already began dreading the day she learned how to properly pronounce her R's. Leia was only a little over three years old, but she was the most sharp-witted toddler Henry had ever met. If it were not for her obvious but endearing misuse of the R sound, her petite frame, and a round face accented by her chubby cheeks, there would not be a single person who did not think Leia was twice her actual age.

Aside from the obvious age difference, Leia and Henry had more in common than he liked to admit. She loved reading and had begged Henry to take her on library trips ever since she could talk; it had become somewhat of a tradition for them to go to the library every Saturday morning after Emma's obligatory "at least once a week family breakfast" before Henry headed to Storybrooke to spend his weekends with Regina. Although most of their family came from fairytale backgrounds, Leia's fascination with the fairytale world was utterly inspired by Henry's own obsession with it; an obsession that had grown so much throughout the years that he was now majoring in English Literature with a focus on Myths, Fairytales, and Folklore at Boston University.

Leia's interests had always mirrored Henry's, but physically, she was their mother's carbon copy. A tumble of thick, honey blonde curls covered the entirety of her head, some pieces sometimes even falling over her large emerald green eyes that were tinted with gray hues and remorselessly pulled you in the minute you drowned in them. She had a small, button nose that fit her face in a faultless manner, and heart shaped lips that were naturally rosy in color. Her personality, on the other hand, was distinctly identical to her father's, except for her mother's clear stubbornness that seeped through from time to time. Leia was confident, dedicated, and even more charming than Killian, if that was even possible.

"Where's mom?" Asked Henry, slowly walking down the stairs, trying not to fall over because of the boxes.

Leia shrugged and hugged the bottom of the railing, intensely watching Henry struggle his way down, "With daddy," she focused her gaze on the top box, "I think."

The summer term had come to an end and Henry was getting ready to head back to school. His parents living in the city was convenient, but he had been offered a full ride to Boston University and he was not about to pass up the opportunity to live in the dorms on his own; he treasured his independence and privacy far too much. Henry, although almost twenty years old and fully independent, spent as much time as he could with his family because they were still as close as ever. During the week, even though he spent most days balancing his time between classes, writing his novel, extra-curriculars, and a semi-normal college social life, Henry always tried making it home for at least a dinner or two, which never failed to put both Emma and Killian in an instant good mood; they loved having both their kids home more than anything. During the weekends, after having breakfast with his parents and sister, Henry would drive over to Storybrooke and spend time with Regina and his grandparents. If Emma and Killian were not too caught up at work, they would, at times, even join Henry on those weekend trips back to Storybrooke; Emma always complained about how they did not go visit her parents enough anyway.

Henry grunted as the boxes became heavier with each step, "Yeah, dad's probably making sure I didn't ruin my car coming back from Storybrooke yesterday. Hitting a curb isn't even a big deal," he sighed, "I don't know why he's so worried."

It had taken a while before Henry felt comfortable enough to call Killian 'dad' and although it was not as if anyone had forced him to, he still felt like it was the right thing to do. Killian had been in both Emma and Henry's life for almost a decade now, and in that decade, so much had happened. From traveling across realms, to battling the worst of villains, and everything in between, Killian had been there for it all. He had married his mom, giving him a little sister, was one of the few people Henry trusted the most in the world, and aside from his grandfather, Killian was the only constant male figure in Henry's life. They shared a mutual respect and a unique love no one but the two of them understood. Killian was devoted to being the best man he could be, not only for Emma, but because he wanted both Henry and Leia to have someone honorable, other than their mom, to look up to, and that commitment was something that always impressed him.

Henry could still clearly remember the first time he called Killian 'dad.' It had been during his high school graduation, right after he walked across the stage and got his diploma. Emma gave him a teary-eyed, warm hug and got on her tippy toes to give him a kiss on the forehead, and Killian followed with a comforting embrace. He had told Henry how proud of him he was, and how it had been an honor watching him grow up into such an intelligent young lad, and without hardly realizing it, Henry quickly replied with, "Thanks, dad." It was a moment that had left them all wide-eyed and it was one of the few times Henry had witnessed Killian getting choked up. It was not that Henry did not remember Neal - In fact, with his family and sometimes even on his own, he would frequently visit Neal's grave and catch him up on everything that had been happening in his life. Neal would always hold a special place in Henry's heart, but he could not deny the fact that he barely knew him. He wished for nothing more than to have had the opportunity to spend more time with him, but knew such a wish was not possible, so Henry did his best to hold on to the memories he _did_ have of his father. Killian also knew that keeping Neal's memory alive was important, not only for Henry's sake, but for Emma's as well, since he had been such an integral part of both of their lives; Killian would often take Henry down to the local docks for some quality sailing time, still their favorite pastime, and Killian would fill Henry's heart with stories about his adventures with Neal from back in Neverland. It were moments like those that made Henry appreciate having someone like Killian in his life. After all, what he always told people was, if he had two moms, why could he not also have two dads?

Henry was almost at the bottom of the stairs when he noticed the top box starting to softly shake, "What the hell?" Leia immediately caught his attention; she could not take her eyes off the box, almost as if it was a magnet drawing her in, and she was so focused she hardly even blinked. "Leia," Henry muttered, not taking another step; a soft gasp escaped his lips when the box started to slightly levitate a few inches above the bottom one.

"Leia!" He shouted, snapping her attention back to him; the box dropping to the floor almost on cue.

Henry's face grew worried, and he sat the other box down, making it easier to walk up next to her and kneel down to her height, "How did you do that?"

Leia shrugged her shoulders again, and by her frightened, blank stare, Henry knew she was not lying. Did his _three_ year old sister just use... _magic_? As far as Henry knew, that was not possible. The only time anyone could use magic, including their all powerful mother, was when they were in Storybrooke. Moving to Boston had meant leaving magic and everything that came along with it behind, for a safer, fresh start, so Henry could not wrap his head around what had just happened.

"What's going on?" Emma asked in a concerned tone as she came through the front door, Killian right on her heels; the cool breeze of the early Boston summer afternoon sent chills down Henry's spine. He quickly scrambled to his feet and smiled down at Leia reassuringly, knowing she could use some comfort, "Nothing, everything's fine. Hey, Leia, wanna go get your crayons so you can draw me something before I leave?" Before Henry could even properly finish the question, Leia was sprinting up the stairs, giggling, "I'll be wight back, Henwy!"

Killian laughed and shook his head, amused but not surprised over his daughter's eagerness. His smile was swiftly wiped away when Henry said, "Mom...dad...we need to talk."

* * *

 

Killian and Henry crowded over the kitchen island, while Emma finalized a food delivery order through her phone, "Pizza should be here soon," she announced, laying her phone down on the counter and joining the boys.

"I've lost my appetite," Henry groaned.

"Okay Henry, what the bloody hell happened?" Killian was evidently becoming more worried with each passing second.

Henry sighed, "Right before you guys walked in, Leia-" before he could continue Leia ran into the kitchen, tightly hugging a box of crayons, and jumped into her dad's arms.

"Hey, princess," whispered Killian, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

Emma offered her a kind smile and rubbed her back, "Baby, weren't you going to draw something for your brother?"

Leia nodded and wiggled out of Killian's arms, sitting down on the floor a few feet away; Emma grabbed a few pieces of blank printer paper from their arts and crafts drawer and handed them to her, "Here ya go, sweetheart," and walked back to where Killian and Henry were waiting.

"Anyway," Henry shook his head in an attempt to ignore the distractions, "I'm pretty sure," it was still hard for him to believe and not wanting to alert Leia, he whispered, "I'm pretty sure Leia used magic."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and Killian leaned forward on the counter, "Magic?" Emma was dumbfounded, "As in actual magic? _My_ kind of magic?"

Henry nodded his head, not knowing what else to say.

"What exactly did she do?" Killian asked, looking back to make sure Leia was still occupied and promptly returned his attention to his wife and step-son.

"Um, well, I was trying to carry some boxes down the stairs, you know, to get them into the car, and one of the boxes started floating out of nowhere. Mom," he locked eyes with Emma, "It was _your_ kind of magic. She was so focused on that box and as soon as I snapped her out of it, it fell on the floor."

Killian and Emma exchanged glances, a look of disbelief and confusion masking both of their faces, "Did you say anything to her?"

"I asked how she had done it, but she didn't seem to know. It was almost like it was involuntary."

Emma took a seat on one of the bar stools because she felt like she could faint any second, "But that...that doesn't make any sense. We're in Boston."

"I know," Henry sighed and then a realization hit him. Emma's first worry was about Leia using magic outside of Storybrooke, but he had expected the whole part of her actually being able to even do magic to be the most shocking of all, "Wait. Has Leia ever used magic before?" He felt silly even having to ask. He was sure they would have told him if something so big would have happened.

Killian hesitated before answering but knew it was time to come clean. He looked at Emma for reassurance and she gave him a slight nod, "Once. Right after we brought her home from the hospital. She wasn't feeling well and when I went to take her temperature, she screamed bloody murder and the thermometer flew from my hand across the room."

This was all new information to Henry and it was going to take some time to process, "So Leia can do magic? She was actually born with magic like you were, mom?"

Emma shrugged, "It only happened once," she looked over her shoulder to check on Leia and then continued in a lower tone, "At first we were freaked out, but it never happened again so we just brushed it off as a freak accident."

"She used magic! How do you brush that off as an accident?!" Henry's shock was turning into frustration.

"She was also three days old," Emma tried to explain in a calm manner, "And we had just defeated Chernabog so there was still a lot of magic in the air from the spell Regina and I had used to disintegrate him. If it would have happened again, then of course we would have said something, but it didn't and Killian and I thought it was best we kept it to ourselves to not worry anyone."

"Leia having-," Henry lowered his voice, "Leia having magic wouldn't worry anyone. It's magic! You have it, my other mom, and grandpa Rumple have it. Isn't it a good thing?"

Killian sat down next to Emma, "Not necessarily. Your mom and I have talked about it a lot. Hypothetically, I mean, because we obviously didn't think this would ever happen. But Henry, you of all people should know that magic always comes with a price. It makes everything a million times harder to deal with. We didn't want Leia's life being even more complicated than it already is."

"Is this why you left Storybrooke?"

Emma covered Henry's hand with hers, "Of course not. I mean, I guess it played a small role, but look at the life we have, kid," she looked around the house and at Leia, who was now laying on her stomach, peacefully coloring away, "None of this would be possible if we had stayed."

Their life in Boston, although entirely different from the one in Storybrooke, was indeed great. They had found a fully renovated colonial styled, four bedroom, three bathroom home in a quiet neighborhood inside an off-the-charts school district, which Leia would start taking advantage of within the next year or so when she was meant to start pre-kindergarten. Their new home was not only near a park that Killian loved to take Leia to, but it was also relatively close to Henry's university, allowing him to come home whenever he wanted. They were only about four hours away from Maine, which made it possible to visit Snow, David, and Neal whenever their schedules allowed, and they had both even found jobs that they had ended up falling in love with. Emma had found her niche in the social work community, and although she could not actually work as a child and family social worker until she finished her degree in psychology which she was still going to school for, through her connections with the individuals from the Boston foster care system, she had been offered a job at an adoption agency, where she helped mentor at risk teens through the process of dealing with the possibility of aging out of the system before getting adopted. The same agency had already offered her a permanent position as a social worker when she did finish school. There were times when she did miss her Storybrooke sheriff duties, but she felt like working in this particular field was her calling and she could not be more content. Killian, on the other hand, had a harder time figuring out what he wanted to do. He went back and forth between several options, but ended up going for the most obvious - a captain at a Cambridge-based boat company. His main job was to operate sightseeing cruises and private chartered events on the Charles River and Boston Harbor. Although an entirely straightforward job, he enjoyed himself so much - always coming back home with stories about his interactions with tourists, and how ridiculous he thought they all were for not knowing anything about seafaring life. Emma was sure Killian sometimes forgot that not everyone spent over three hundred years as a fairytale pirate.

Henry walked over to the fridge and poured himself a cup of water, "Okay," he said after taking a sip, "So explain to me why you guys decided to leave, because honestly, you never really have. You just said you wanted a fresh start, and you know, I never really asked any questions because I just assumed it was for a good reason, but now...with everything going on with Leia...you both love Storybrooke! It's where we found our family. Our life was good. I was leaving, but I was leaving because of college, not because I necessarily wanted to. So, what was it if it wasn't to try and keep Leia from developing her magic?"

Killian and Emma simulatanously took a deep breath, "Sit down," Emma patted the open stool next to her and Henry gladly accepted the invitation.

"You're right," Emma started, "Our life in Storybrooke _was_ good. Being surrounded by friends and family - there's nothing better."

"There's a 'but' coming, isn't there?"

Emma gave him a weak smile, "But...it wasn't a life either of us could maintain forever. Henry, I can only fight villains and monsters and be surrounded by such insane situations for so long."

"But you're the Savior."

"And at the end of the day, I will always be there when our family needs me, but we had to leave. When Chernabog appeared and began threatening our family, when he threatened _you_ , and when he threatened Leia, I made a promise to myself - that I would take Leia as far away from that life as possible, without completely disappearing from it, because as we both said, I am still the Savior, and I know that I still and will always have responsibilities. Luckily, you had already decided that you were going off to college, so I knew you'd be safe, but Leia? She hadn't even been born yet, Henry, and the most dangerous villain I had ever faced was already threatening to use her against me. You wanna know why? Because you," she took his hand, her eyes brimming with tears, "And Killian," she looked back at her husband who took her other hand and held it tight, and then at Leia, "And Leia, along with the rest of our family, you're all my biggest weakness. I would do _anything_ to keep my family safe, and the first thing villains always did when they wanted to get to me was use one of you as a crutch, and I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't put you or Leia through any of that for much longer. I will continue to battle whatever gets thrown at us, but being a ways apart from Storybrooke, where I know your sister is safe, is a peace of mind I could never achieve if I still lived in Maine," she took a deep breath.

Killian rubbed her back as a single tear rolled down her face, "We just wanted to do what was best for you and for Leia," he muttered.

Henry squeezed Emma's hand in consolation, "I get it. Really. I do. Thank you for telling me."

Emma dried her cheeks with the back of her sweater sleeve, "But, there's still one thing."

Killian knew exactly what his wife was referring to without needing her to say anything else, "Why can Leia use magic outside of Storybrooke when not even Emma, the sorcerer with the most powerful light magic, can?"

"Good question," said Henry.

"Emma, luv, when did you start showing signs of magical powers?"

"Um," she tried thinking back but her pounding headache made it almost impossible, "When I was a teenager, I think," she concentrated, "Yeah, when I was staying with Ingrid. I was playing on a claw machine and all the lights started going crazy when I began to really focus. Nothing after that though. Not until Storybrooke, at least."

"Leia's only three. What the bloody hell is going on?"

They all sat in silence for numerous seconds, attempting but ultimately failing to wrap their heads around everything that had happened within the last half an hour. Emma's phone rang, interrupting the quietude and startling each of them.

"Crap. Must be the pizza," Emma groaned and reached for her phone, but was surprised when she read the caller ID, "Hey. What's going on?" Emma's eyes instantly widened, "Hang on. Okay, wait, mom, slow down. You found what?"

Her face soon became as white as a ghost, immediately raising concern within Killian, "Emma, what is she saying? Are you okay?"

Emma ignored him and continued listening to the call, "Heading there now," she said before abruptly hanging up and going over to Leia, picking her up from the floor without a single complaint from the toddler. Leia had gotten her mother's intuition; she usually knew when something was wrong and behaved accordingly, always taking her parent's my surprise.

Killian got up and gently grabbed her hand, pulling her back, "Emma. Stop. Talk to me, what did Snow say? What's wrong?" The frantic look in her eyes was unsettling him.

"Mom?" Henry added.

"We have to go to Storybrooke. Right now," she blurted, "I think Leia's in danger."


	2. Chapter Two

"Emma, what exactly did your mother say?" Asked a worried Killian, looking in the rear-view mirror to check on Leia, who was happily eating her goldfish snacks, and quickly turned his attention back to the road. They had decided to take the SUV, since the bug hardly had enough space for any of Leia's belongings; neither of them were aware of how serious the issue actually was and just wanted to be ready in case their stay in Storybrooke had to be extended. Henry's first day of his third year in college was tomorrow, so he had made his parents promise that they would keep him updated on everything, and they made a plan for him to meet them in Storybrooke in a few days.

Emma leaned her head back on the seat, sighing, "She didn't say much - just that Belle had found something in the library," she looked out the car window, not wanting Killian to see her teary eyes, "And that she thinks Leia's in danger because of it."

Killian grabbed the steering wheel with his prosthetic hand, reaching over and holding Emma's hand with his free one. Ever since they had left for Boston, Killian wore a prosthetic attachment for his hand. He never failed to complain about it at least once every time he used it, but having a hook did not seem like something that would be easily accepted outside of Storybrooke, so he knew that he had no other choice. Although at home, he would often sport the hook, which Leia loved as it gave her the chance to play pretend with the real life Captain Hook himself.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze causing her to turn her head to face him, a single tear ran down her cheek, "I'm scared," she whispered.

They came up to a red light, so Killian took advantage of the opportunity and leaned over, kissing the tear away, then planted a soft peck on her lips, enough to make Emma smile for the first time in the last three and a half hour car ride.

To their relief, this had been the first time that they had not needed to stop multiple times for Leia to use the restroom. Back when she was in diapers, long car rides like this were simple, but now that she was potty-trained, everything had become twice as complicated; it also did not help that Leia had apparently inherited her grandmother's small bladder - you could not drive anywhere more than an hour away with Snow without needing to stop at least a handful of times, an annoying habit that usually irritated everyone around her. After stopping for the first and only time at a gas station in a nearby, barely even populated town, Emma and Killian were relieved to finally be less than fifteen minutes away from Storybrooke.

Coming back home always brought on bittersweet emotions. Storybrooke had been the place where Emma first connected with her son, where both Killian and Emma had found their family, where they had many of their "firsts," where they promised to love each other for eternity, and where their daughter had been born. But, it was also the place where they lost numerous loved ones, where Killian had to watch as the darkness consumed the love of his life, the place where Emma had to be the one to take Killian's life, as he sacrificed himself for the entire town. They tried to not dwell too much on the bad memories, but they seeped in from time to time, making them glad they had decided to move to Boston for a fresh start.

Years ago, Killian had said something that had stuck with Emma ever since - he had reminded her that there was always a crisis when it came to their family, which was all the more reason to enjoy the quiet moments. That was exactly what Emma planned to do. She knew that this situation with Leia was only going to become worse with each passing day, so she just wanted to enjoy this quiet moment in the car with two of the people she loved most in the world. As they drove towards Snow and David's house, Emma peered out the window at all the familiar surroundings. The small town had not changed much in the past few years, besides a couple of new businesses, including a charming coffee shop and a pet store that had been built after Regina found some wiggle room in the budget. They passed Granny's and Emma pointed to it, turning back to look at Leia with a massive grin on her face, "Look baby, that's where they make the best grilled cheese in the entire universe," she exclaimed. Emma had eaten so many grilled cheese sandwiches during her pregnancy with Leia, that it was no wonder it had become their daughter's favorite food as well. Often times, Emma and Leia would join forces against Killian and would not stop their whining until he drove across town to Roxy's, a local grilled cheese truck, and brought them back home a few sandwiches. Roxy's was amazing, but nothing beat Granny's, making it one of their Storybrooke trip highlights every time they were back in town. They had visited Storybrooke several times since their big move, but the last time they had come, Leia was hardly two and a half years old. Since then, she had added a couple dozen words to her vocabulary and comprehending ideas had become much easier, so Emma and Killian were hoping that this time around, even amidst all the chaos, they perhaps could take Leia on some exploring adventures.

"Gwilled cheese!" Leia squealed, clapping her hands together and giggling.

Killian smiled through the rear-view mirror, "We'll make sure to get you one before we leave. How's that sound, princess?" Leia nodded her head enthusiastically and shoved another goldfish cracker in her mouth.

* * *

 

The Charmings' home, located on Storybrooke's farthest end, had gone through quite a few alterations since Killian and Emma had moved away. They had re-painted the entire house a light beige color, making it seem even larger than it already was, and had invested on a bigger barn, allowing them to fit seven horses, instead of the previous four they owned. Snow had always been big into horse-riding, and now that they owned enough property where they could go on extensive rides, she had insisted for David to let her get a horse for each family member so now everyone, even Leia although she was still too young to ride, had their own steed. Every so often, they would all go on hour long rides, something Henry and Neal enjoyed almost more than Snow did, which was saying a lot. Apart from the horses, the Charmings also owned numerous goats, sheep, that were entirely David's idea, and roosters, which were the vain of Emma's existence since they woke them all up ridiculously early every time they stayed over and Leia was not at all an early morning person, much like her mother.

When they arrived, David and Snow were already waiting outside by the front gate that lead to the rest of their property. The expression on Snow's face was indisputably overcome with distress, causing both Emma and Killian's stomachs to churn. Emma turned back to check on Leia who was beginning to become fussy due to missing her afternoon nap. She locked gazes with Killian, simply wallowing in each other's presence for a mere second, and they took a deep breath before getting out of the car; Emma quickly rushed over to Snow's side, while Killian unstrapped Leia out of her booster seat and placed her in David's eager arms.

"Oh my," David exclaimed, raising the toddler up in the air and playfully shaking her, "There's no way this is my same little Leia," he brought her back down and tickled her side, making Leia giggle, "Look how big you've gotten, princess!"

Snow smiled sweetly at David and Leia interacting. Leia's grandparents were utterly enamored by her, wholeheartedly wrapped around her cute little finger. Although they got to raise Neal, Leia was Emma's spitting image, so seeing and spending time with their granddaughter at this young age, much like they could not with Emma herself, somewhat eased the pain of having abandoned her so many years ago.

"Mom?" Emma asked as Killian joined her side, wrapping his arm around her waist and offering Snow a greeting smile, which she contentedly returned.

"C'mon, let's go inside first," Snow ushered them towards the house, David following behind with Leia still in his arms.

Belle was already waiting inside for them; she was sitting in the dining room, with half a dozen leather bound books sprawled over the entirety of the table. She did not smile when she looked up and saw Emma heading towards her, but instead, moved some of the books out of the way so there was room for others to sit around the table as well.

"Hey Belle," Emma muttered, earning a smile from her in response.

"Hi," She replied, and nodded towards Killian when he sat down next to Emma. David stayed standing a bit a ways from everyone else, bouncing Leia in his arms, and Snow got them all drinks since she knew what everyone liked: a shot of rum for Killian, iced tea for Emma and Belle, a glass of iced water for herself, and a beer for David, which she sat on the counter for whenever he felt like drinking it.

Emma took a sip of her drink, "Where's Neal?"

Snow walked over to the table, balancing Killian's drink on one hand and her's on the other, "Ashley took him and Alexandra to the lake for the day. He's excited to come home and see you guys though."

"Oh, no, thank you," said Killian when Snow handed him the rum, an unhealthy obsession Emma had been pestering him to cut back on.

"Trust me, you'll need it," sighed Snow, taking a seat on Belle's other side.

Killian looked over to Emma, who gave him a small smile and a nod of the head in approval, "Go for it, babe, I don't mind," she placed one hand on Killian's lap and turned to Belle, then her mom, "Okay, so tell us everything."

Belle took a deep breath, "I was looking for a project to do with Gideon for the summer since he's no longer being occupied with school. I've been meaning to re-organize the library for some time but Rumple hasn't been able to help because he's been busy with the shop lately, so I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity. Gideon might only be five but he's completely engrossed by books. I guess he gets that from me," she laughed, "But that's besides the point. Yesterday, as we were clearing up one of the last sections, a book fell on the floor, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Gideon, on the other hand, was drawn to it, and about an hour later, I found him sitting at the front desk reading it without even bothering to look up for a single second."

Leia started to fuss again, "Mommy!" She whined.

Emma stood up and walked over to David, taking her daughter from his arms, "Come on, baby girl. She's just sleepy, dad," she reassured David, who had begun to think perhaps Leia was no longer comfortable with him anymore, given the fact that they had not seen her in a few months and that tends to happen with young children. David took the seat next to Snow, and Emma followed back to where she was sitting, cuddling Leia close to her.

"Anyway," Belle continued, "I took a closer look at it last night and found something extremely weird," she opened one of the older looking hardback books, and slid it closer to where Killian and Emma could see it more easily. The page Belle had opened to was fully covered in intricate designs - symbols like the ones Henry had subconsciously drawn before the final battle over five years ago. Every symbol was not just drawn on the page though, they were engraved so well that when Killian ran his hand over them, he could feel where the mark of whatever tool was used to make the symbols had touched the page. A sensation of unease and discomfort quickly took over Emma; she wrapped her hands tighter around Leia's small body.

Since Leia had begun nodding off in Emma's arms and because he knew that she should probably get some appropriate rest, Killian whispered, "Here, luv, let me take our little sleeping beauty upstairs."

Emma hesitated, not wanting to let go, "Hey," Killian scooped Leia in his arm, her head resting on his shoulder as she slept peacefully, "She's going to be fine," he cupped Emma's face with his free hand and gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, "I won't let anything happen to her," Emma offered him a weak smile and he kissed her forehead, "Or you."

She waited until Killian disappeared upstairs before turning her attention back to her parents and Belle, "What does _this_ ," Emma pointed to the bizarre symbols, "Have to do with my Leia?"

Belle sighed, "It's not the symbols so much as this," she turned the page and Emma's stomach suddenly dropped. The next page was veiled in only one thing: Leia's name written over and over again.

_Leia Swan-Jones._

_Leia Swan-Jones._

_Leia Swan-Jones._

Emma frantically flipped through the book, no longer caring about what she did or did not see. The first half was mostly filled with the same peculiar symbols, a handful of blank pages here and there, and the second half contained hundreds of pages with nothing except Leia's full name written on every inch of every single page. "What the hell is this?" Emma could now feel the anger that she had tried so hard to push down starting to creep in, "What do they want with _my_ daughter?!"

"Honey, let's not get worked up," Snow said calmly.

"Not get worked up?! _Really_ , mom?"

"Your mother's right, Emma, we just need to figure out why this is happening, who's behind it, and what we need to do to fix it. Getting angry won't help."

"But _I am_ angry. Actually, I'm pissed. I couldn't _be_ more pissed. This," she gestured towards the book and then pushed it away from her so that it slid across the table, " _This_ is exactly why Killian and I left Storybrooke! Because I knew something like this would eventually happen and I didn't want that for Leia! But we left and for what?! It's still happening!"

Snow, David, and Belle exchanged looks but stayed quiet, knowing that Emma needed to vent. Emma stood up and began pacing back and forth, "And now my _three year old_ is still in danger, and it's all because the Savior's job never ends. This crap will never fucking end."

"Emma-," Snow started but was swiftly interrupted.

"I need some air," she muttered before heading straight to the front door, letting it shut loudly behind her.

* * *

 

"Swan?" Emma had been sitting on the porch steps for a handful of minutes now, trying to calm down. Her head was spinning, becoming more clouded with thoughts by the second. She did not turn around when she heard footsteps walking towards her, but looked back when she realized it was Killian.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry, did I wake her up? I didn't mean to be so loud."

Killian shook his head and sat down beside her, "No, you didn't."

She let out a sigh of relief, "Good."

"Emma, you wanna let me know what's going on in that head of yours?"

She met his gaze and that was enough to break her. Every emotion that she had attempted to block out for the past six hours came rushing out, causing thick tears to endlessly stream down her face. Killian wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close; she hid her face in the crook of his neck and he allowed her to cry.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay," he whispered, brushing his fingers through her wavy, now shoulder length hair.

"How do you," Her soft cries turned into long shuddering sobs, "Know that?"

Killian smiled and kissed the top of her head, pulling her closer, "Because, _together_ , we always manage to overcome anything. This isn't an exception."

After what felt like an eternity of just sitting there in each other's arms, Emma had finally caught her breath long enough to be able to talk, "Killian...this is my fault."

"Hey," he said defensively, lifting her chin up so she could meet his gaze, "Why in the world would you say something like that?"

Emma sighed, unable to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, "If I wasn't...If I wasn't the Savior...our daughter wouldn't-"

Killian brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "None of this is your fault. The Savior is who you are, luv. It's part of you. It's as much a part of you as those beautiful green eyes that I love so much are."

A faint smile appeared across her lips as she looked up at him through batting eyelashes, "I love you."

He kissed her tenderly, "And I love _you_. More than you could ever imagine."

She wiped her tears away, taking a quick pause in order to prepare herself for what she had to ask next, "Who do you think is after Leia?"

Killian bit his bottom lip because thinking about it genuinely made him the most nervous he had ever been. He offered her his hand, "Why don't we go find out?"


	3. Chapter Three

Emma rarely ever broke down in front of anyone, let alone her loved ones, but ever since she had had Leia, she had become a whole lot more emotional and it was, at times, utterly difficult to hold back.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she said in a low tone when her and Killian walked back inside the house, hand in hand.

Snow offered her an understanding smile, "It's okay, sweetheart. We know it's a lot to handle."

"Yeah," she sighed and sat down at the dinner table again, Killian standing behind her chair, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to hear more?" David seemed hesitant about handing the book back to Emma knowing that what Belle had previously revealed was nothing compared to what was coming next.

Emma quickly nodded her head, "Of course," and turned to Belle, "What else did you find out?"

"Well," Belle pulled another book from the stack and opened it up to the very first page, "I asked Gideon if he had ever seen that book before, since he knows the library even better than I do, surprisingly, and he hadn't, so I went ahead and looked through the rest of the books in the entire place," she paused before continuing, "Surely whoever put that one there," she nodded towards the book that was now back in Emma's hands, the one covered in all the intricate symbols, "Must have added more clues as to what is happening."

Killian was growing impatient, "And did you find anything?"

Emma covered his hand with hers, gripping it tight for reassurance.

"Turns out I was right," Belle turned the new book towards them but the foreign language made it impossible for neither Emma or Killian to understand. They looked at Belle with confused expressions masking their faces, "It's Slovak," she explained.

"Slovak?" Emma asked.

"Do you know what it says?" Killian took a seat next to Emma, still holding her hand.

"I used a translator potion I found back in the shop, it's a prophecy of some sort."

"A prophecy that involves Leia?"

Belle nodded her head and ran her finger across the first sentence, "It says, "The final battle is yet to come. A new, more powerful Savior will arise and take the fall.""

Emma was dumbfounded, "I'm sorry, _what_? Final battle? I fought the final battle over _five_ years ago. And won."

"That's what I'm still trying to figure out. Was the final battle you fought just a deploy from this one? I don't understand."

"Also," Killian chimed in, "A new Savior? Someone more powerful than our current one?" He nodded towards Emma, who rubbed her temples in distress.

"Well," David started and gave Belle a look.

"Emma, there's more," she took a pause and then continued to skim her finger over the page, following along as she read aloud, "The new Savior, much like the previous prophecies, will be the product of true love – giving her all the magical abilities and intuitions that come along with the title. But, this Savior will be different. She will be the most powerful sorceress to ever wander any realm."

The entire situation was starting to click for Emma but she had become too frightened to say anything so she sat there, wallowing in her own thoughts and allowed Belle to continue.

"The scripture goes on and on about all kinds of different things, some which I still have to translate, but there's not a doubt in my mind that it's talking about Leia."

"Wh-Why _her_?" Killian began shaking his head in disbelief. He looked over at his wife who was looking down at the floor, her arms crossed over her chest. Killian could see the tears building up in her eyes and although he wanted nothing more than to comfort her, he knew Emma, and knew that she needed to process this information on her own terms.

"When I found this out, I did a little more research on Slovak prophecies and beliefs. Turns out, true love in itself is not strong enough to defeat every type of darkness, like we all previously thought."

"That's how it's been from the very beginning though," Emma's anger was beginning to resurface, "So, suddenly true love isn't powerful enough?!"

Belle sighed, "According to my research, it never was. Sure, it carries a boundless deal of power and it can be used to win a lot of battles, but not what's coming. Emma, what makes you one of our most potent Saviors isn't just the fact that you're a product of true love."

"Then what is it?"

"Your willingness to carry on no matter the obstacles that are placed in front of you. Your immeasurably unbreakable drive to beat the odds."

Killian, who had previously let go of Emma's hand, took it again and held it tight. A single tear rolled down Emma's cheek, but she swiftly wiped it away with her free hand.

"Slovak beliefs are the same as ours, but with a certain twist. See, we've always thought that true love was the most powerful magic of all. We thought that it was enough to defeat everything and anything, but according to them, it's not. Just because a being is destined to be Savior, a great warrior, or hero of any aptitude, does not mean they are strong enough – mentally or physically – to take on the role. At that point, if they're not ready to take on such responsibility, being a product of true love becomes almost meaningless."

"What about Leia, though? Why her?" Killian repeated, "She's the product of mine and Emma's true love, right, I get it, but if what you just said is true, what makes her any different?"

Belle shrugged, "She's the product of your true love, yes, but she's also the daughter of the most resilient, formidable hero this realm has ever seen, until now, anyway. And from what I've seen, Leia's not any different," all eyes darted to Emma.

"Fuck," Emma whispered, "Jesus fucking Christ."

"The combination of those two things makes for a very powerful little girl," David said.

"Emma, honey," Snow switched to the chair closest to where Emma and Killian were sitting and tried but failed at making eye contact with her daughter, "Has Leia ever...well, has she ever shown any interest in magic?"

Emma bit her lower lip in an attempt to keep the tears at bay but it turned out to be impossible, "She has magic."

" _What?_ " It was now Belle's turn to be shocked.

Killian scoffed, "Why does that surprise you? Didn't you just say that Leia's next in line for being Savior?"

"I know, I know. Her having magic doesn't surprise me, what surprises me is the timing. Emma," she looked at Emma then looked back at Killian, "Killian, the prophecy says that the moment the new Savior starts developing magical abilities, the final battle is not far behind."

This revelation left everyone in the room speechless; Belle had kept this detail from even Snow and David since she did not think it would be relevant any time soon.

"She's _three_ ," this was all Emma could manage to mutter.

"Belle, why didn't you say anything before?" David was becoming increasingly apprehensive.

"Because Leia's not supposed to show any signs of magic for another few years. It even says it right here," she pointed her index finger at a specific sentence in the middle of the lengthy scripture and read, "For years, the magic will flourish deep inside her, growing stronger with every obstacle she overcomes, and one day, when everyone least expects it, the power will become too much for her to contain. Then, the final battle will take its course."

"When did Leia's magic come in?" Snow asked.

"Uh," Emma's head was spinning and it took every bit of concentration to arrange her thoughts into a coherent sentence, "She first showed it when she was just a few days old. It died down for a bit, but earlier today, right before you called, she used it again. Henry was the one who noticed. I don't even think she knows she's doing it."

David began pacing back and forth, "What the hell?"

"She must be more powerful than anyone thought. I don't think even the prophecy saw this coming," Belle whispered.

"Okay," Emma had had enough, she let go of Killian's hand and stood up, "Let me get this straight. There's something, or someone, evil, more evil than anything I've ever faced, that's going after my three-year-old daughter to fight in a final battle, which by the way, still makes no sense because if the final battle is yet to happen, then what the hell did I fight in all those years ago?! And all this because she's supposed to be the next Savior?!" She was breathless and entirely agitated.

Snow got up and stepped closer to her, taking her hand, "Emma, we will figure this out. Leia will be okay."

Emma sneered, "Mom, I'm sorry, but I really can't deal with your agonizing optimism right now."

David's voice was stern, "Emma. Your mother's only trying to help. We all are."

"Look, I know, I get it, and I appreciate it. Really, I do. But," she turned to Snow, "Can you promise me that Leia will actually be okay? Can you promise me we'll be able to find a solution to this shit-show before my daughter is put in any more harm than she already is?"

Snow's eyes glossed over with tears and she shook her head slowly. "But we'll try," David came to Snow's side and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace, "That's what this family does, Emma. You know that. We'll work, together, to try and figure this out. Belle has promised to help in any way she can. She'll continue researching about this prophecy and final battle. We won't give up until our granddaughter is out of danger, we can promise you that."

"I know you're scared," Snow continued, "Hell, when we found out you were destined to become the Savior we had no idea how to handle it, but look at you now," a tear rolled down her cheek.

Emma tried to swallow the knot that had formed in the back of her throat, but the attempt to do so only made it harder to control her silent sobs. She took a deep breath, "This is _not_ Leia's destiny."

* * *

 

It had been a little over an hour since Emma had found out about her daughter's fate and her family had given her some much needed alone time. Snow and David thought it would be better, considering, to get out of the house for a bit, so they went off to pick up Neal from Ashley's, since they had finished at the lake already. Belle had some errands to run, and just like she had promised Snow and David, she was anxious to get back to the library and continue her research. Even though Killian was the only person Emma did not mind being around while she was having a particularly emotional day, he wanted to give her space and thought a short ride through the newly expanded land would not hurt. When he came back, he decided to check up on his wife and daughter. He cracked open the bedroom door to find Emma laying on the bed, cuddling Leia close, reading her Henry's storybook. Seeing his girls like this never failed to warm Killian's heart. He leaned against the doorframe and watched over them, the corners of his lips curling up into a smile.

The wooden floor abruptly creaked underneath Killian's feet and Emma turned back, offering him a timid smile, "Hi," she whispered and moved herself and Leia to the side, offering Killian enough space.

He gladly took Emma up on the invite and laid down on the bed, kicking off his shoes in the process, "What are my girls up to?"

"Mommy's weading me a stowy," Leia explained, her attempt at pronouncing Rs making both Killian and Emma chuckle.

"And what story might that be?"

Leia yawned, "The one about the pwincess and the piwate falling in love," her eyes were beginning to flutter shut again. Either the magic was wearing her energy down, or that missed nap had just really taken a toll on her tiny body. Or both.

"Oh yeah?" Killian looked over at Emma and smiled, "That's my favorite."

"Mine too," Emma added.

It did not take much for Leia to fall asleep again. Emma and Killian simply looked over her. Everything about their little girl made them swoon with love. How her long, light brown eyelashes fell over her chubby cheeks. How every time she slept, she pursed her ruddy lips. How the sweet sound of her soft breathing was enough to make their hearts grow two sizes.

"We should have another one," Killian whispered unexpectedly, catching Emma by surprise.

"What?"

"I mean it," he brushed his thumb over Leia's rosy cheek.

"You're insane," Emma shook her head.

"We make pretty cute babies; don't you think?"

"That we do," Emma agreed, grinning.

"She's remarkable," Killian studied Leia's face, his eyes instinctively brimming with tears, "Just like her mother," he added, bringing his eyes to meet Emma's.

Emma's cheeks quickly became flushed, "I'd do anything for this little girl," she murmured, choking up, "God, I'd go to the end of the world for her. Or time. But I don't think I can handle another Savior scare." Her expression suddenly changed; Killian could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Emma, we need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about," she exclaimed.

"Of course there is."

She got up from the bed, making sure to not wake Leia up and headed towards the bedroom door, "Emma," Killian whispered, quickly catching up to her, following her down the stairs.

"Swan!" Killian exclaimed, louder this time, and grabbed her arm, turning her to face him, "You can't run from this. This is our reality. If Leia's going to be the new Savior then-," Emma cut him off.

"She is _not_ going to be the Savior."

"What are you talking about? Belle said..."

"I don't care," Emma challenged, "I'm not letting our daughter go through this."

"Okay," Killian sighed, "Emma, luv, that's fine. We can figure out a plan B. We can figure out a loophole. Maybe she can use her Savior magic to stop this before it even starts. We will defeat this. Together."

"You don't get it," Emma had tears rolling down her cheeks again, "Killian, I want us to figure out a way to take away her Savior powers. Forever."


	4. Chapter Four

"Emma, what are you saying?"

"I don't-I can't watch Leia go through, well," she looked up and down at herself, "This."

"You can't actually be serious?"

"Killian," she pleaded, her bottom lip trembling.

He let go of her arm, "She's destined to become the Savior. Just like you were. Why would you ever want to take that away from her?"

"You really think being the Savior is so great?! You think it's been easy for me?! You haven't been through it, you don't know what it's actually like! Sure, lots of good things have come from it, but what about all the bad? Being the Savior meant putting everyone's life before my own, putting myself in danger for the town, fighting battles I didn't know if I would survive. Killian, being the Savior meant not getting my happy beginning and a certain death wish until just a few years ago. I would never stop being the Savior, but that's because I didn't have a choice and I still don't - it was too late when I found out. Too many lives depended on me taking up this role. But _Leia_? It's not too late for her. She can have a normal life. A life that doesn't involve magic, and villains, and final battles. She can have a life where she doesn't have to worry about fighting for other's happiness, just her own. I don't want my daughter to live in fear of whether she'll lose her life during her next battle or not," Emma's last few words were barely audible over her sobs.

Killian did not have to say much for Emma to know that what she had just said had hurt him, "How dare you say that I haven't been through it?"His voice cracked, "Bloody hell, Swan. Yes, I'm _not_ a Savior, nowhere near one, actually, but I've been by your side through it all. The villains, the battles, the magic...it's affected your life just as much as it has mine. You wanna know why, Emma? Because you are my life. How do you think it felt having to stand on the sidelines while you got impaled to death? How do you think I felt knowing how broken you were when being the Savior meant not getting your happy ending?" Killian was now shouting between cries, his cheeks stained with tears, "Every time you felt hurt, broken, or scared about facing the reality that came along with being the Savior, I wanted nothing more than to take your place just so you didn't ever have to feel that pain again. You're the reason I live and breathe, Em, you and the kids. So, don't ever say that I haven't been through it again."

"I'm sorry," was all Emma could manage to say, "I didn't mean it like that." They both knew each other far too well to know that fighting about it was not going to get them anywhere.

"I know," Killian sighed, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand, "C'mere," he whispered and pulled Emma into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her small frame. Emma had always considered Killian to be her home so there was no better way to comfort her than to be wrapped in his arms. The smell of his sweet, woody cologne always soothed her beyond belief; so much so that, on nights when she needed a pick me up and her husband was not around for whatever reason, she would fall asleep wearing one of his many oversize shirts he kept around just for her, which all smelled just like him.

Emma curled up into his embrace, holding her hands closed to her core, allowing him to rock her back and forth. Killian rested his chin on her head and combed his fingers through her hair.

"I'm getting your shirt wet," Emma said, knowing that her thick tears were staining his shirt.

Killian let out a relieved chuckle and picked her chin up just enough so they could make eye contact, "I love you. And I'm sorry."

Emma sighed, "Me too. And I love you more."

"Not possible," Killian cupped her face with his hand and gently brushed his thumb over her cheek.

She got on her tippy toes to place a soft peck on his lips. These were the moments that made every obstacle they had ever faced in their relationship worth it. Just being in each other's arms, soaking up every bit of each other's presence, and pretending like whatever was outside of their perfect, little bubble ceased to exist was enough to keep them going.

After a few minutes of simply just standing there, holding one another, Killian pulled back, "Swan," he said, "Can I say one thing?"

Emma nodded, "Anything."

"Just listen to what I have to say, okay? No interruptions. Not until I'm done," he gave her a look that implied this was a warning, "Promise?"

She playfully rolled her eyes knowing that no matter what she said, he was going to say whatever was on his mind anyway - they were both equally alike in that way, "Promise."

"Leia is _our_ daughter. This decision is ours to make, not just yours. I wish we could somehow consider both of our choices and make something of it, but unfortunately, considering the circumstances, it's one or the other. I know you don't agree, but please believe every word I'm about to say. I love every part of you. Including the Savior part. Being the Savior is not just what you do, it's who you are. It's as much a part of you as those beautiful green eyes I love so much are," he smiled down at her, "And if that's Leia's destiny, then that means it's also just as much a part of her. But," he paused before continuing, "You and the kids' happiness and safety will forever be my priority. No matter how badly I think Leia deserves to make this decision herself and how unfair it would be to take this opportunity from her, if you think it's what we need to do to keep her safe, then that's what we'll do. I'll put my differences aside and support whatever decision you make because, after all, you were right...no one knows more about the sacrifices that come along with being a Savior than the Savior herself."

Emma was suddenly overcome with emotions. On one hand, she felt such indescribable love and appreciation for her husband; he never thought twice about putting her happiness before his own. Truly, they were both utterly selfless towards each other and would do anything to make one another smile. Knowing she had someone like Killian in her life gave her a certain internal comfort that she found hard to explain. On the other hand, even if taking away their daughter's destiny of being the next Savior was not the most perfectly laid out plan, Emma knew, in her heart, that this was the right decision. If Leia was in danger because she was destined to be the Savior and fight in a battle that was sure to end in someone's death, why not put an end to it before it even starts?

"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears again.

Killian offered her an understanding look and kissed her forehead before grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the dining room table where only one book remained: the one covered in symbols; Belle had taken the one with the prophecy back to the library with her to continue doing research.

"So, how do you plan on doing this?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders and looked down, avoiding eye contact, "You know how," she sat down at the table, rubbing her neck to try and relieve some of the built up tension.

"Wait," Killian sat down across from her, "Tell me you're joking."

"It's the only way I know how."

"Emma, the shears are gone. Lost in the sea years ago."

"We're just gonna have to get them back."

"Oh, and how do you plan on doing that exactly?"

She shrugged her shoulders again, "Use my magic, find a spell, I don't know - something. Unless someone else has any other ideas."

"That's not our only problem, luv. I don't think we have much time."

* * *

 

The next handful of days passed by agonizingly slow, yet Emma and Killian did not seem to mind as they wanted to stay as far away from the supposed final battle as possible.

Henry had made it to Storybrooke for the weekend and although he too was having a difficult time processing all of the new information, he had never been as determined to help out before. He had spent every waking moment in the library with Belle, Gideon, and David, searching for any more possible clues along with helping them translate the complex text. Snow and David were over the moon excited to have the whole family back in town, even if it was just for a little while, and convinced Emma to let them throw a get-together; it did not take much to convince Killian though, he was down with the idea from the start. At first, Emma thought that stopping in the midst of all this insanity to have a party seemed like a ridiculous way to waste time and she wanted nothing more than to continue pouring all of her efforts and energy into helping Leia, but with the help from one of Snow's famous speeches about how "life is short" and how "everyone should stop every once in a while and smell the roses," she agreed to let them throw it, under one condition: they had to let her put a protection spell over her parents' property for the entirety of the party. With so many people going in and out, it was going to be nearly impossible to keep track of everyone and Emma was not going to take any chances. No matter how many times Killian, or anyone, tried to convince her that everything was going to be okay because no one would let anything happen to Leia, she was still in full on protective mom mode. Killian knew how much Emma needed this, to let out some steam and perhaps even enjoy the party a bit, and everyone involved needed it just as much because no one had stopped working since the news about Leia's fate got around town. They agreed that, for the sake of everyone's mental stability, including Emma and Killian's, they would let her cast the spell.

"Here, go with mummy," Killian encouraged, placing Leia in Emma's arms, "Daddy's gotta help grandpa David with the food."

Leia had been playing nonstop in the bouncy castle her grandparents had surprised her with, leaving her exhausted, jumping back and forth between her parents' arms; she laid her head on Emma's shoulder while she balanced her on her hip.

"You gonna be okay?" Killian asked, resting his hook on Emma's free hip, pulling her close.

"Yeah," she said low enough where only he could hear, "Just gonna go show this baby girl off," she smiled up at him as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

Emma made her way through the crowd, struggling at times to hold Leia up, "When did you get so heavy, sweet girl?" She asked, earning a giggle from Leia in response; she wrapped her arms tighter around her mom's neck. They eventually made their way to several groups of people - Granny and Geppetto's hearts melted over Leia's witty remarks and they caught Emma up on all the Storybrooke gossip, including who was dating who; Belle and Emma managed to stay off the Savior topic, to Emma's relief, and were able to have an actual pleasant conversation - Belle told her all about how her relationship with Gold was better than ever and about how well Gideon was doing in school, which did not surprise Emma considering how well-read and intelligent his mother was; Ashley and her managed to have a heart-to-heart where Ashley expressed her gratitude, yet again, for how much Emma and Killian had helped her all those years ago, and told Emma all about how glad she was her and Killian had found the happiness they so badly deserved - she genuinely believed Leia would be okay; Emma was even able to fit in a little catch up with Violet, who Emma had not seen since she had left for college around the same time Henry did.

"Hey mom," Henry gestured towards where he was sitting alongside Regina, her husband Mark, and Zelena, who was rocking a sleeping Robyn on her lap.

"Hi," Emma said as she took the empty seat in between Henry and Zelena, adjusting Leia so she sat on her lap comfortably.

"She's so big, Emma," Zelena exclaimed.

"Don't even remind me, it's crazy how fast they grow," Emma replied, a certain sadness taking over. Leia had grown way too fast. Sure, she was small in stature and had inherited her mother's small frame, but with each passing day, she became so much more independent and smart - it was both fascinating and heartbreaking to witness. "And look at your little one! God, I'm gone a few months and Robyn looks like a totally different kid. She's gorgeous," Zelena smiled at Emma's compliment. Much like Leia was Emma's carbon copy, Robyn was Zelena's; messy, red curls framed her chubby freckled cheeks and piercing blue eyes.

"Regina, can you hold her for a second while I go use the washroom?"

"Of course," Regina exclaimed and held Robyn in her arms as the young girl continued to sleep peacefully.

Leia extended her arms towards Henry and he pulled her into his lap, giving Emma a much needed break.

"So, what the hell is going on with Leia?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed, "Henry, honey, can you take your sister for a walk?"

Henry nodded, understanding the hint, and gently threw Leia on his back for a piggyback ride; Emma smiled to herself when she heard Leia's soft giggles while Henry walked away.

"Didn't Belle tell you? I was sure the whole town knew by now."

"She did, but I just don't get it."

"We're on the same boat then," Emma said, anxiously fidgeting with her wedding rings.

"But I thought you were the Savior," Mark added.

"Not for much longer, I guess."

"What are you planning to do? You know we're here to help, right?"

Emma offered them both a weak smile, "Thanks. Um," she pondered whether she should tell them or not but knew they would find out from Snow and David sooner rather than later, "I want to figure out a way to keep her from becoming the Savior."

Mark and Regina, knowing just how serious this had just become, interchanged questionable stares, "You want to take away her magic?" Regina seemed confused.

"It's the only way," Emma bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hold back the tears. She had no intentions to cry in front of anyone else that day, let alone Regina.

Regina scoffed, "You know it's not. Emma, you know what the consequences of taking away Leia's magic would be, right? She would never, ever be able to get it back."

Emma nodded her head slowly, "Trust me. I know."

"Then why are you even considering that as an option?"

"Because she's _my_ daughter, Regina. And I plan to do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

* * *

 

Emma was thankful when night finally came; she was emotionally and physically drained. Her and Killian had helped her parents clean up the yard and house, and her and Snow had just finished washing the last of the dishes while David and Killian took out the trash and put away the grill.

"I don't think I can keep my eyes open for much longer," Emma yawned while she slumped down on the couch, cuddling next to Killian, who hugged her close; David joined them in the living room, making Henry, who was playing a video game from the other couch, scoot over.

"I'm so glad Leia went to bed without any complaints," Killian said, "That would have been a long night," he kissed the top of Emma's head.

"Yeah," she agreed.

Just as Emma's eyes were beginning to shut close, Snow, who had previously gone off to take a shower, came rushing down the stairs in a panic, "Emma! Killian!"

They both immediately shot up to a sitting position; it took Emma a few seconds to wake up enough to make sense of the scene around her.

"What's going on?!" Killian asked, making his way over to the stairs to meet Snow.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"Snow...," David was just as confused as everyone else.

"Leia," Snow breathed out, instantly causing Emma's heart to drop to the pit of her stomach, "She's gone."

 


	5. Chapter Five

Emma stayed exactly where she was, frozen in fear for her daughter's wellbeing. Killian ran past Snow and sprinted up the stairs, his chest begging for air by the time he reached the final step. Hoping this was all a dream, he pushed the guest bedroom door open to find an empty bed - Emma's baby blanket, which was passed down to Leia after she constantly cried for it, was still spread out on the bed.

"No...no," Killian whispered to himself and took a second to collect his thoughts before heading back downstairs. His head was aching like it never had before and the pit in his stomach was making him sick.

"Where's Emma?!" He asked in a panicked tone when he walked into the living room only to find Snow sitting there, tears filling her eyes.

"Um," the shakiness in Snow's voice was apparent, "She ran out without saying anything. David and Henry went after her. I...I wanted to," a tear ran down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away, "I have to stay home with Neal. He's asleep."

Without a second thought, Killian grabbed his dark washed jean jacket from the coat hanger, and pulled the front door open.

"Killian."

He turned back to face his mother-in-law, trying to hide his eyes so she would not see how scared he truly was, "Find her," she whispered, "Bring Leia back."

With that, Killian ran down the house steps and hopped in their car, not even bothering to buckle in his seatbelt until well into the drive. He drove across town and down Main Street, trying to keep all his focus towards finding Emma; he knew that if he let his mind slip into thoughts about his daughter he would not be able to handle it. His heart practically skipped a beat when he spotted David's truck parked at the curb and the library lights turned on. _Emma._

"Emma, you have to stop!" Killian could hear David's pleading cries before he even set foot in the library, a million thoughts crossing his mind. He ran up the stairs following the voices all the way up until the third level where he found Emma rabidly sifting through books, not caring whether or not they fell onto the floor. While Henry helped her by looking through several books on the other side of the room, David was trying to calm her down but Emma's mind was set on one thing - Leia - and there was nothing stopping her.

"Emma," Killian said in low voice, approaching the scene slowly from behind.

David sighed in relief, "We have to stop her."

Killian could feel the vibrations of his heart pounding hard against his chest throughout the entirety of his body, "What's she doing?!"

David shrugged and ran his hand over his eyes, "I don't know. What I _do_ know is that we should be out there looking for Leia."

"Emma, sweetheart," it took every bit of him to try and make his voice sound as low and calming as possible when in reality, his world was spinning.

"Hey," Killian muttered as he came up behind her, resting his hand and hook on her shoulders, "Luv, what are you doing?"

Now that he was close enough to touch her, Killian could hear Emma's heavy panting, "I have to find it," was all that she managed to say in between breaths.

"Find what?"

"It _has_ to be in here somewhere!" Her entire demeanor was frantic; there were only three other times when Emma had acted this way - once when Henry bit into Regina's poisoned apple turnover, another time when Chernabog threatened Leia's life when Emma was still pregnant with her, and when Killian died before she turned him into a Dark One all those years ago in Camelot; all three times she was fighting to protect the people she loves most in the world.

"What does? What are you talking about?" Killian attempted but failed to gently pull her away from the bookshelf.

"They," Emma's voice cracked, "They took her and there has to be," she sobbed but did not stop looking, "There has to be something here that can help us."

"Swan," Killian whispered, his heart shattering into a million pieces at the sight of his wife being so distraught, "Emma," he repeated himself but after she gave him no response he took it upon himself to finally put an end to this. He pulled her closer to him and turned her around, wrapping his arms tightly around her body, her face resting against his chest.

Emma fought his embrace by pushing him away, "Let me go, Killian! Our daughter's _gone_!"

He continued to hold her tight until she relaxed in his arms, giving into his comforting warmth. She sobbed louder and louder against his chest but Killian knew that there was nothing he could say to make her feel better so he decided to just hold her as she found the crook of his neck to hide her face. Killian rubbed her back, soothing her violent cries; his own tears had now began staining his cheeks.

Emma sighed and looked up at Killian, her bottom lip still quivering, "Killian, if something's happened...if she-"

He lowered his face down to meet hers, resting their foreheads together, "Shhh," he whispered, "Let's just go find our daughter."

* * *

 

Knowing that Snow was their best tracker, Emma and Killian forced Henry to stay home and look after Neal while they went out to look for Leia. They were all still utterly distraught but knew that they needed to focus all of their energies on doing whatever it took to find her, so they pushed their feelings aside.

"Mom, dad, let me help. I'm the author, I can surely help in some way," Henry whined.

"Henry. _Please_ ," Emma could not afford to worry about anything but Leia's safety right now and having Henry at home was the only way her mind could focus solely on that.

"But," he started until Killian cut him off.

"Henry, I think you're old enough to know that this is the best place for you to be right now," Killian explained in a stern voice, then he softened his tone, "Your mom and I need to find your sister and we can't be worrying about you being put in possible danger as well."

"Fine," he agreed.

"Thanks, kid. I love you," Emma offered him a weak smile and got on her tippy toes to kiss his forehead before heading out the door, Snow and David right on her heels. Killian made sure to give his son a tight hug before following the rest of his family outside.

"We should check around the house first," Emma suggested, pulling on her coat since nights in Storybrooke tended to be more chilly than in Boston, no matter the time of year.

"Agreed," added David as he and Killian took the lead.

Before Emma followed them, Snow pulled her by the arm to get her attention, "Hey," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"We're gonna find her."

Emma scoffed, "Mom, I know you're trying to help but I'm really not in the mood for a hope speech right now." Her voice sounded distant, almost cold.

Snow simply smiled at her, "That's fair. But we will find her. Remember that."

Emma nodded her head slowly and quickly caught up to David and Killian knowing that if she spent another second talking to her mother about Leia she would burst into yet another crying fit.

As the night progressed, their hopes of finding Leia slowly began diminishing, although Snow was still positive they would find her soon, all safe and sound. Several minutes into their search, they were joined by Regina, Mark, and Zelena. The darkness that creeped over Storybrooke's poorly lit streets made it twice as hard for Snow to find any signs of footprints but after not finding any, even after checking half of the town, Emma was convinced that trying to track her without using magic was pointless.

"Regina, maybe you should invest some of that town budget on better street lights," Zelena commented sarcastically, making both Mark and David chuckle. It was nice that someone was able to break the tense atmosphere with some humor, although both Emma and Killian's minds were somewhere else entirely and consequently barely even noticed Zelena's comment.

"Yeah, _Madame Mayor_ ," added David earning a death glare from Regina in response.

"Alright, I think it's about time we use magic," Emma exclaimed, "We should have used it as soon as Leia went missing. If something happened to her during these last few hours and we could have prevented it, I will never forgive myself."

Regina rolled her eyes, "I told you - we have no idea what the hell is going on. Using magic could make things a lot worse depending on what's happened to her."

"I don't care," Emma was over it, "I'm done doing this the hard way. I need to find my daughter. Now."

"Emma, maybe-," Snow agreed with Regina; using magic could be the turning point in sabotaging the situation even further.

"I agree with my Emma," Killian said, "We've been at this for hours and nothing. I think it's time we use that Savior magic to our advantage. What do you say, Swan?"

Emma's lips twitched up into a shy smile and she nodded her head, keeping eye contact with her husband the entire time.

"So, are you going to help me, or shall I do this myself?"

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," Regina sighed, "As you know, you need something of Leia's for the spell to work."

"Yeah," Emma muttered, "I know, but um," she checked her jean pockets as well as her coat pockets and Killian did the same, "Everything's back at the house. I guess we should go back there."

"That's a waste of time," Zelena exclaimed, "You're her parents. Your blood should work just fine."

Emma and Killian let out united sighs of relief, thankful they did not have to waste even more time going back to the Charmings' house. Emma stepped up towards Regina, but Killian stopped her, "Let me, luv," and in one swift move, he pricked his finger with his hook, allowing a drop of blood to roll down his finger.

Regina lifted her hand over the dark red blood and a shining light suddenly appeared on the surface of her palm. Killian winced from the unexpected sting.

"There," Regina said, "Hook will now lead us straight to your daughter."

For a quick second, a spark of hope was visible in Emma's glistening eyes, making both her parent's smile from ear to ear. Killian reached his arm out towards Emma and she held on to his hook as they lead the way towards wherever their daughter was to be found.

* * *

 

The spell lead them deep into the woods and after a while of walking into what seemed like a never-ending maze, Emma was beginning to grow doubtful.

"Are you sure this is working?"

"Yes," Regina and Zelena answered simultaneously.

"Blood magic is the strongest of all. It'll work," Regina seemed more confident than ever.

"Be patient, sweetie," David suggested, but Emma was over being patient. She was tired of walking around mindlessly for hours on end with no results. Her heart ached to hold her daughter in her arms. She would give anything to be in her place right now. The thought of Leia, out there alone, and probably scared out of her mind, was enough to send continuous chills down her spine.

"Wait," Killian stopped in his tracks, looking around.

"What?" Emma asked and everyone else was just as confused, "Killian?"

"Do you hear that? Listen."

Emma listened as hard as she could but the only thing that she could hear was a low hoot from a nearby owl and the rustling of the wind. Right as she was about to give up, she picked up on something else. It was faint, merely discernable, but it was there - muffled cries in the distance.

"Oh my God. Leia," she whispered and Killian pulled her by the arm towards the noise, the group following shortly behind.

Not even a mile later, they found themselves by a small creek. To their surprise, especially considering how often they had explored these woods before, they never knew this creek existed. On the other side of the water, a handful of feet away, laid a small body - Leia's body. She was lying face up, the water covering most of her tiny limbs.

"Leia!" The toddler's parents screamed in unison and ran over to her, not caring about stepping in the frigid water with shoes and all.

"Oh my God," was all Emma kept repeating as she picked up her daughter's almost limp body, cradling her close.

"Is she awake?!" David asked, running towards them.

"Emma, is she okay?!" Snow panted, as she, along with the rest of the group, kneeled down around them.

No matter how hard Killian tried, he could no longer keep the pain away and he sobbed into Emma's shoulder as she held Leia as tight as she could, trying to keep her warm. The icy water had caused her limbs to turn pale and the skin around her lips was blue. The toddler fought hard to keep her eyes open but she was indescribably weak and it was becoming impossible to do so.

Emma covered her mouth with one of her hands, holding up Leia with the other, and let out a relieved yet aching cry.

"Mo-Mommy," Leia whimpered, genuine fear masking her face, "Daddy," her body and lips began to tremble uncontrollably, "It...it huwts," she managed to whisper before her eyes became far too heavy for her to keep open.

Emma could hardly look at her daughter without the knot at the back of her throat making it difficult for her to breathe. Her lungs felt like they were being crushed by the weight of the world and her tears were making it difficult to see straight. She had to be strong, for Leia's sake. How did this happen? Just a few days ago they were back in Boston leading a relatively normal and utterly happy life and now they were here, holding their daughter as she shook in pain. How did they get here?

"It's okay, little love, mommy and daddy are here," Killian said in a low voice, biting his bottom lip to keep from sobbing aloud, "Stay with us, princess, c'mon," he kissed the top of her head over and over again.

Seconds later, Emma, Killian, Leia, and the rest of the group were surrounded by a layer of smoke; Emma had used magic to get them to the hospital.

* * *

 

Whale was suddenly pulling Leia from Emma's arms, a task proven to be almost impossible as Emma did not want to let go, not even for a single second. He carried the toddler over to one of the empty, private rooms and instructed the nurse to close the door and shut the blinds but neither Killian and Emma were having it.

"We're not leaving!" Emma's mood quickly went from devastated to furious.

"We're not leaving her alone," Killian added.

Before the nurse could try again, Whale told her to drop it; he knew exactly how hardheaded this couple could be.

"You both can stay but you have to let me do my job, alright? Don't get in my way."

Emma and Killian nodded in utter understanding and let Whale move around the hospital room freely, performing dozens of tests all at once. Leia's parents stood at her side the entire time, Emma holding her hand tight, as they kept an eye on her breathing. She looked weaker than anyone Emma or Killian had ever seen and were paranoid that she would stop breathing the second they looked away. When Whale went to take Leia's blood pressure manually, she screamed in agonizing pain, causing Emma to turn around and hide her face in Killian's neck, unable to withstand seeing her child in so much discomfort. Killian could feel her tears rolling down his neck, down to his shirt so he wrapped his arm around her, comforting her as much as he could while also taking her place in holding Leia's hand.

"Her arm's broken," Whale confirmed seconds later. Emma sniffled, still looking away, and Killian tightened his grip around her.

"I'll do an x-ray to see where exactly, but other than that, she seems okay. A bit dehydrated and bruised, but she'll be fine."

When Emma felt comfortable enough to look back at the doctor and at her daughter, she whispered, "I can fix it," each bruise she noticed while looking up and down at Leia's arms and legs felt like a stab to her heart, "With magic. I can make it all go away."

Killian shook his head almost instantly, "No, luv," he sighed, "At least not yet. We have to figure out what's happening with Leia before we use any more magic on or around her. It could be doing more harm than good."

Emma brushed her fingertips over the bigger bruise on Leia's left arm as a single tear ran down her cheek, "Yeah. Okay."

Whale nodded, "Why don't you guys wait out there," he pointed towards the waiting room where the rest of their family and friends were anxiously awaiting news, "Until we finish the x-ray?"

Emma's body hardened, immediately starting to panic. Killian pulled her close.

"I promise she'll be fine," he assured the worried parents, "And I'll come get you as soon as I finish."

"She can hear us, right?" Emma asked, not taking her eyes off of Leia.

"Yes, she's only asleep. Whatever happened must have taken a huge toll on her body."

Killian winced at those words. What the hell had happened to his daughter? What could have caused her this much damage? Why was she out there alone? In that precise moment, he promised himself he would go to the ends of the Earth to figure out what happened to Leia and he was surely going to make whoever was responsible pay. No one, no one, hurts his family and gets away with it.

Emma bent down and kissed Leia's forehead followed by her cheek, "We'll be right back, princess. Mommy loves you more than anything."

Killian could not help but smile at his wife's tenderness towards his daughter - they truly were his whole world. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, "We'll see you soon, little love."

Before they joined everyone, they were in desperate need of a quiet moment. Just the two of them where they could collect their thoughts and de-stress; Killian pulled her into a smaller, more intimate waiting room.

"Killian-," Emma's sobs were barely audible. She felt as if the room was spinning, becoming more and more nauseous with each passing second.

"It's okay, darling. I'm right here," he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her shaking body, softly resting his lips against her temple.

"Leia," she whispered weakly, "She...," Emma was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming sensation of pure dread. She lost every bit of strength she had left and allowed her body to collapse in Killian's embrace.

"I know," he sighed and kissed the top of her head, breathing her scent in; it took every bit of willpower to keep his tears at bay. They stayed like that, wallowing in each other's presence, for what felt like an eternity, although it was only really a few minutes.

When they felt a bit more ready, they walked, hand in hand, out into the waiting room, Snow and David quickly sprinting to their feet as soon as they caught a glimpse of them.

"How is she?!" David's eyes were tired; he was obviously sick with worry.

Emma shrugged her shoulders, "As best as she can be. Considering."

"She has a broken arm," Killian added, trying to blink away the tears already starting to form again in his eyes, "A few bruises. And she's really tired."

Snow gasped, "A broken arm?! What the hell happened out there?"

* * *

 

Leia had been released from the hospital two days later and being back at Emma's parents' house had never felt better. The stress from the accident had not completely worn off yet, as they still did not know exactly what had happened, but both Emma and Killian felt better knowing their daughter was back to her spunky self.

"Mommy, I want my blanket," Leia whined as Emma laid beside her on the bed. Lately, Emma had been more exhausted than ever and whether it was the stress finally starting to catch up to her or just the lack of sleep in general, she could feel her body start to shut down so she had been taking naps along with Leia ever since the hospital.

"Daddy's coming now, he'll bring it," Emma assured her daughter.

They had tried to act as normal as possible since they got Leia back, not wanting to accidentally trigger a negative memory, but Emma knew they would soon have to bring it up. Not knowing what had happened was driving both Emma and Killian insane and if it had anything to do with the new prophecy and the final battle, they had to know in case it could help in any way. Killian soon came up the stairs and smiled when he saw them cuddled in bed.

"Ah, my two favorite girls," he handed Leia her blanket, "Do you have space for one more Jones?"

Leia giggled and nodded her head enthusiastically, shuffling her and her mom to the side so Killian could fit. He laid on his side being careful to not squish Leia, and faced Emma, who was staring at Leia's arm cast with glossy eyes.

"Hey," he mumbled, "You okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded her head, snapping out of it, "I just remember sometimes and...you know."

Killian offered her a weak smile and stretched his hand over Leia to cup Emma's face, brushing his thumb over her cheek, "I love you," he then turned his attention towards Leia and kissed the tip of her nose, "I love you both so much."

Emma bit her bottom lip, her cheeks flushed, "We love you too."

"A whole lot," Leia nodded her head quickly, utterly sure of herself, making both her parents chuckle.

"Hey Leia," Emma cleared her throat and looked over to Killian before she continued. He knew exactly what she was thinking without her having to even say it. He gave her an encouraging nod, "Do you remember how this," she pointed to Leia's cast, "Happened?" Emma scrunched her face, almost not wanting to hear the answer.

Leia shrugged her shoulders and played with her blanket, "I don't know. I was in the woom and then I went to the woods." She said this so casually, almost as if it did not bother her at all, leaving her parents stunned.

Killian frowned, not totally satisfied with her answer, "But did someone take you there, sweetheart?"

The toddler shook her head, "I did it!" She announced proudly.

"You went out there by yourself? On purpose?" Emma was more confused than ever.

"I couldn't contwol it. I just walked and walked and walked until I saw the cold water and then you and daddy found me," she yawned, her eyes beginning to become sleepy.

"How could she have walked there? We didn't find any footprints. Not trace whatsoever."

A realization suddenly hit Emma, "Killian...oh my God. She used magic again."

They looked down to find Leia drifting off to sleep and knowing just how much she needed it, they thought it would be best for them to head downstairs to share the news with Snow and David, but noticed that Belle had apparently beat them to it.

"Belle," Killian was taken aback, "Are you okay?"

Emma rushed to where she was sitting, in the exact spot she had told Emma and Killian about Leia's fate, and looked back and forth from her parents to Belle; they were all as pale as ghosts, immediately making Emma nervous, "Did you figure something out?"

Belle swallowed, her eyes growing fearful, "It's Chernabog. He's back," she looked from Emma to Killian and then back to Emma, whose face had become just as white, "Now he's after Leia."

 


End file.
